This invention generally relates to firefighting apparel and, more particularly, to a firefighter coats with protective hoods.
In addition to wearing a specially-designed coat and pant, firefighters often wear a hood for protection in firefighting situations. Typically, the coat is worn to protect the torso and arms while the hood is worn to protect the head and neck and includes an opening for the face of the firefighter. The coat includes a collar, made of the same material as the coat, which also contributes to the protection of the neck of the firefighter. Consequently, the hood eliminates any gap in protection provided by the protective gear for the neck, cheek and ears of the wearer in the area between the helmet and the coat collar of the firefighter.
The hood typically is constructed of a knit, flame resistant material having thermal resistance properties, such as an aramid fiber, which serves to insulate the head of the firefighter as well as protect against burns in the region covered by the hood. Because the hood is made of a thermal barrier material, it typically is manufactured as a separate article giving a firefighter the option to wear or not wear the hood in a particular firefighting situation. For example, a firefighter may decide to forego wearing a hood when the outside temperature is extremely high and the firefighter is acting in a situation in which the likelihood that the firefighter could receive burns to the head or neck area is remote.
However, a problem exists with respect to conventional firefighter hoods. Since such hoods are separate articles, they may be misplaced or forgotten by firefighters in the excitement of responding to an emergency, in which case they would be unavai1ab1e when needed. Attempts to solve this problem have been made. For example, Ersteniuk U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,980 discloses a hood which is attachable to the inside of a firefighter helmet. Although attaching the hood to the inside of the helmet may solve the problem of misplacing the hood, it has made the hood more difficult to secure.
An additional problem exists with prior hood designs, regardless of whether the hood is separate or attached to the helmet. Since there is no mechanical attachment between the hood and coat, embers and debris can pass between the hood and the inside of the coat, thereby causing discomfort to the firefighter and increasing the frequency of required laundering. Such repeated cleaning increases the rate of wear of the coat which shortens its useful life and increases maintenance costs. Therefore, a need exists for an improved firefighter coat and hood design that eliminates the problems associated with previous hood designs, and provides the required protection for the firefighter.